“Other solutions are outdated…Evolve is forward-thinking, cloud-based and expandable. We can continue growing with it.”

Cooper Barron Director of Engineering, Hotel Figueroa

“Our experience working with Evolve has been outstanding. They have been extremely hands-on working with our team, and the installation has been seamless. Evolve continues to demonstrate their commitment and has been a true partner to Hotel Figueroa.”

Background

Since its inception in the 1920’s, the Hotel Figueroa has been linked to the cultural evolution of Downtown Los Angeles. Originally founded as a hotel for women – as part of the newly established YWCA – the Hotel Figueroa served as a beacon and a refuge for both travelling and working women. One of the key aspects of the hotel’s comprehensive redesign was to restore the Mediterranean-style property back to its original Spanish Colonial style and grandeur, from nearly a century ago. Hotel guests can expect style that pays homage to its rich history in accommodations which include 268 rooms and suites, 12,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor event space, an outdoor pool, large lobby area, two restaurants and three bars.

The Hotel Figueroa is poised for its next evolution as it goes through its own revitalization. The hotel will continue to honor its legacy as a cultural hub of the city and fixture of downtown Los Angeles history and life, while providing guests with a comfortable experience.

Challenge

Today’s traveler, whether for business or pleasure, is more discerning than ever. The challenge for many hotel operators is to find the right mix of comfort, technology, energy efficiency and sustainability. In the case of the Hotel Figueroa, this meant blending the needs of a modern hotel to create a unique, memorable guest experience while continuing to honor the property’s Spanish Colonial heritage. This required investment in modern amenities, a seamless and unobtrusive deployment of the latest technology and a firm commitment to sustainability and responsible development.

The Hotel Figueroa’s renovation deployed the latest technology available in the market, while ensuring that this was seen as effortless and seamless by the guest. In addition, the property is targeting LEED Silver and Green Seal Gold certifications, which have a very clear economic benefit. Overall, the revitalized Hotel Figueroa is expected to be nearly 40% more energy efficient at a 100% occupancy rate than it would be at just 50% occupancy prior to the renovation.

Solution

The hotel’s engineering team needed to deploy a proven solution that was flexible, reliable and scalable, and that felt like a natural fit for the hotel’s goal for a technology platform that delivered results, yet felt like a natural fit for the guests. The Hotel Figueroa turned to technology leader, Evolve Controls to deploy its wireless occupancy-based room control system that allows guests to manage their environment by controlling room temperature and lighting levels.

Cooper Barron, Director of Engineering of Hotel Figueroa was drawn immediately to Evolve’s cloud-based platform and wireless infrastructure, which is critical when dealing with existing infrastructure in a historic property. “Other solutions are outdated and leave you stuck. Evolve is forward-thinking, cloud-based and expandable. We can continue growing with it.”

Barron had some very basic requirements: the product needed to be easy for the guest to use; had to be flexible to minimize any potential issues even for the most finicky guest, and had to provide a robust back-end solution for staff to centrally control the system, run diagnostics and analyze performance.

Results

From the beginning, the vision for the revitalization of the Hotel Figueroa has been to restore the property back to its original Spanish Colonial style, while deploying the latest technology for a better guest experience. This required working with partners who understood this mission. Evolve Controls delivered on the promise for a modern
technology platform to manage energy costs, provide staff with a reliable operational platform, and enhance the guest experience without being obtrusive. Evolve exceeded expectations from day one, by implementing an in-room control system, with full functionality to control climate and lighting, based on occupancy, allowing guests to
manage temperature and lighting preferences via an integration.

This proven solution is designed with the guest experience in mind, while also delivering significant energy savings by managing temperature set-points and lighting when rooms are unoccupied. In addition to the deployment of the in-room control system, Evolve Controls is fully integrated into a guest service platform, which is being provided to all guests at the Hotel Figueroa. Beyond the benefits of an improved experience for guests, this solution allows the hotel staff to effectively manage energy costs through Evolve’s occupancy-based energy management platform, and strengthen their relationship with guests through the implementation of cutting-edge technology.

Evolve Controls remained deeply engaged with the hotel’s team throughout the entire process. According to Barron, “Our experience working with Evolve has been outstanding. They have been extremely hands-on working with our team, and the installation has been seamless. Evolve continues to demonstrate their commitment and has been a true partner to the Hotel Figueroa.”